Blog Marketing Idea: Hire a Rockstar Blogger (Or At Least Get One to Guest Post for You)

I came across a 2007 interview on TIME about the film Lions for Lambs. The movie starred Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, who were all part of the interview. The interviewer noted that 2007 was perhaps a year of franchise films, which were mostly not star-driven, and asked if this marked the first non-star era of Hollywood. I found Tom’s quick response quite profound and interesting, and particularly relevant to the business that I’m in today.

I don’t agree with that, because it’s the stars who are promoting those pictures, that get people interested to see those pictures. You’re neglecting the value of that talent.

I would agree that the value of actors and actresses is not just in the on-screen presence, but is also evident in their marketing pull. Sure, you can find a lot of actors out there who are more of actors rather than stars. These guys could probably provide even more depth of experience and passion in acting than many of the superstars we know. But to the mind of a moviegoer, star value still matters, or at least it helps win a potential viewer’s initial impression of a movie.

Perhaps it’s the same with blogs.

If a rockstar blogger were to announce that he’s launching a new blog, then his reputation would be one big factor in helping tip the scales toward some success in terms of traffic and readership (and even money, if that is the goal). Or if a rockstar blogger were to guest post on a relatively unknown blog, then he might be able to pull up readership there, both for the duration of guest-posting and in the longer run.

I would even go further to say this also applies in other aspects of blogging. How about design? Rockstar designers do have their own following, and people would not miss the chance to download the latest, greatest, themes from their favorite designers, even if it involved paying money for subscription or purchase. How about blog software and plugins? Rockstar developers do have their own following, and people would gladly download new software releases, as if these little pieces of code were sent from heaven.

I’m not much for the rockstar mentaliy. A bit conservative, I usually go for a more modest approach, talking to people, building relationships, and trying to find value in the ordinary.

This probably makes me a movie director who only films for oneself. Or an indie producer who doesn’t care what the world says–or the box office for that matter–just as long as he or she cuts that masterpiece fit only for the eyes of a worthy few. But hey, maybe one day I’ll get to win that coveted golden statuette.

Mr. Cruise, if you’re reading this, how’d you like to guest post on Performancing?

6 thoughts on “Blog Marketing Idea: Hire a Rockstar Blogger (Or At Least Get One to Guest Post for You)

  1. The best example is Darren Rowse. When he launched twitip he got 1000 rss readers within a week. Now thats what star power can do. If it was a blog by some unknown blogger, however good it may be , after 1 week it would have managed only 10-20 rss readers

  2. A rockstar blogger can have a big impact on a lesser known blog, and this is exactly why it is so important for new bloggers to create relationships with these rockstars.

    A blogger with a huge following can leverage so much in a variety of spaces, from social media to social news sites like Digg. As Darren Rowse once said, “leave your blog” and get to know the others in your niche. Network and build with others.

  3. Most of us bloggers are in it for a release of our creative juices, sort of like you said about a director making a movie for themselves. But if you would like to be a guest host on my blog, I sure wouldn’t turn you down!!!

  4. I can assure you that if Darren Rowse wasn’t behind Twitip.com, no one would have heard of it.

    Likewise, look at who are the top people on Twitter now. It is almost all offline celebrities.

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